Looking Back on 2017: Year In Review and Favorite Blog Posts

I can’t believe we are already closing out 2017. This has been such a fast year. I know I say this all of the time, but wow the years fly by the older you get. I remember being young and thinking that summer was so long. I remember getting off of the school bus on the last day of school and feeling like I had a ton of time before I had to go back to school (now that amount of time flies by in like 2 seconds!).

2017 was really focused on my pregnancy with Emma, and her birth at the end of August. I found out I was pregnant in December 2016, so I was pregnant for more than half of 2017. So if it looked like I was chilling on the couch for most of the year, it’s because I was, lol. I have a feeling 2018 will be filled with a lot of family adventures & creating new memories. We will also be buying our first home this year which will be really exciting to share here on the blog!

JANUARY

In January Noah turned 2. I can’t believe he will be turning 3 soon. He’s seriously the sweetest little boy on earth. I’m so lucky to have him, and he makes everyday more fun. I remember being sick on his birthday (I had been sick for almost 2 weeks with a sinus infection prior to his birthday). I pulled myself together and we went to celebrate at The Thinkery (a children’s museum here in Austin, and went to get burgers & fries for lunch). In January Dylan and I also took a little staycation at the Hotel Van Zandt here in Austin, and my sister watched Noah. You can read our staycation post & watch the video here.

The Best Chili Recipe– I make some version of chili probably every week. This blog post gives you my recipe, and also a video of me cooking it! Disclaimer: I was nervous in the video. This was before I really started doing my Instagram Stories everyday, so I was still a newbie on video.

FEBRUARY

First of all, can we discuss Noah’s hair in this picture? This was pre-first haircut and his little rat tail cracks me up. In February my parents were visiting us, and I remember being exhausted from my first trimester. My goal starting in the new year was to upload Youtube videos on a consistent basis, but the first trimester completely wiped me out, and I got overwhelmed with the idea of taking on a new task. I ended up putting my channel on hold, and just focusing on my blog. First trimester exhaustion, keeping up with a toddler, and focusing on my blog was all I could take on at the time.

Stuff Real Moms Do– We all can relate to these types of posts, and they are some of my absolute favorite to write. Anyone else only shave half of their legs or steal your kids snacks?

MARCH

In March I announced my pregnancy. I was 14 weeks pregnant around March 8th, so I shared the good news with you all on the blog. I was so excited to tell you guys, and to start sharing pregnancy content! Dylan’s mom came to visit us in March, and Dylan and I attended a couple of events for SXSW here in Austin.

My Favorite Guacamole Recipe– Dylan and I made guacamole on Instagram Live last night, and this is the recipe we made (for the most part… I think we left out cilantro the other night)

APRIL

Picture Above: Best Dress Ever (Non Maternity, but works for a growing bump. I got a size small & wore it almost throughout my entire pregnancy)

In April we took a family trip to St Petes Beach, Florida. It was so much fun, and it was Noah’s first trip to the beach. We had so much playing on the beach everyday that we actually ended up extending our trip. It was the first trip where Noah really got excited about everything. He loved flying, staying at the hotel, and building sandcastles. It was such a memorable trip for us.

Favorite April Blog Posts:

My experience getting tape-in hair extensions– The reason I love this post so much is because I ended up taking my extensions out a few months after. Sure, my hair looked great, but it just wasn’t realistic for me to have something that high maintenance. I like to keep my hair & beauty routine really simple, and although my shiny new extensions made me feel great, it just wasn’t the best timing. Imagine having a newborn baby & high maintenance hair? Not possible, lol. Maybe I’ll try them out again in the future because they really are awesome!

My good friend Julie came to visit in May which was awesome. Other than that, I don’t really remember much that happened in May, lol. I hit my second trimester in May, and I was spending most of my time being somewhat exhausted just getting through the days.

Favorite May Blog Posts:

20 Things You Might Not Know About Me– I love reading posts like this from other bloggers, so I decided to write one for myself. Did you know I’m from the midwest and studied Apparel Merchandising at Indiana University? You can read more about me in the post!

In June I took a little road trip to Dallas to meet with my RewardStyle rep. It was during that trip that I started to realize that my pregnancy was really starting to catch up with me. I’m one of those people who is continuously moving, but I remember being so exhausted after that trip. I also came back from that trip really motivated to get my blog into gear, and reach the goals I had set for myself earlier in the year. We started to prepare for Emma’s arrival, and got her room ready. Noah was starting to get so excited whenever we would chat about Baby Emma.

My Home Office Tour– It’s funny looking at how clean my office was in this post, as I sit here and look at how it’s a huge mess at the moment, lol. Oh, and more than half of it has been dedicated to toys at this point #TheKidsHaveTakenOver

JULY

In July I almost try-on hauled myself into labor during the big Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. I remember about a week after I did my try on haul to promote the sale I started experiencing SPD/Sciatic pain. I had to start taking it really easy and keep off of my feet as much as possible. So I basically worked & hung out on the couch, lol. Exciting times!

Favorite July Blog Posts:

Quick and Easy Skincare Routine for Busy Moms –I’ve been using Tula products for years. I use the 5 products mentioned in this post on the regular. I usually run out of the serum the fastest, so then I will just continue with the cleanser, toner, moisturizer, and eye cream.

A Letter To My Friend Having Her First Baby– One of my absolute favorite blog posts I’ve ever written. I wrote it the morning my friend went into labor (while I was super pregnant myself…. pregnancy hormones were raging obviously).

Rocking Pregnancy With SPD, Sciatic Pain, & Lightening Crotch– Shared about my pregnancy complications, and was so surprised that so many of you went through the same types of issues. If you’re going through SPD, Sciatic Pain, or Lightening Crotch just remember it will go away once baby is here so hang in there!

AUGUST

August was a month on the couch. I was experiencing SPD and Sciatic Pain super badly, so I stayed off my feet as much as possible (except during this photoshoot above, lol… I remember not enjoying it (hence the look on my face). I remember going to a coffee shop one day, and not being able to walk to the bathroom without terrible pain. I ended up leaving the coffee shop, and even had my friend drive because the pain was so bad. Days when I would stay off of my feet were so much better than days I walked around. It was impossible to not walk around most days when taking care of Noah. On August 29th Emma was born, and it was one of the best days ever.

Coconut & Almond Butter Energy Balls Recipe– These are LIFE! I ate them non-stop the first couple of months after Emma was born. They were the perfect treat to take upstairs with me for middle of the night nursing sessions. I actually looked forward to waking up to nurse because that meant I got to eat one, lol! They are so tasty!

SEPTEMBER

September was our first month with Emma. It was honestly amazing. I remember being so stressed out the first month after we brought Noah home, but this time things just fell into place. I knew what to expect, and things are just easier the second time around. You realize that everything is a phase, and to enjoy those middle of the night nursing sessions because soon they will be a thing of the past. Dylan’s mom was in town to help with Noah during Emma’s delivery, and she also stayed for the week after Emma was born to help out. Later in the month things started to get a bit more difficult as Noah had a jealous phase, and it was a difficult transition from taking care of one kid to taking care of two.

In October we were still figuring out how to juggle everything as a family of four. As a blogger, you don’t really get a maternity leave so I was learning how to get work done in between nursing sessions, and while helping with Noah as well. Dylan stepped in and really helped with Noah a ton so I could focus on Emma. I found myself missing Noah since Dylan was waking up with him every morning, so I would wake up with him sometimes even if I was up during the night with Emma. My parents came to visit and to meet Emma in October as well.

In November we took our first trip as a family of four. It was just a little road trip, and we brought the SNOO, lol… but it was so good to get out! Emma and Noah slept like champs and we had such a fun time. It was actually warm enough to swim one day! We went to San Antonio and stayed at the JW Marriott. We hosted Thanksgiving at our house, and had friends over. Dylan actually used his sous vide on the turkey, and it ended up being so good!

In December we took our first trip as a family of four where flying was involved. We had the opportunity to partner with HomeAway, and took a vacation to Breckenridge, CO (will be sharing the blog post & Youtube video soon, so stay tuned!) We stayed in the most gorgeous house, and had the best time relaxing with family and friends. It was SO much fun to see Noah’s excitement when going sledding and playing in the snow. Both kids were champs on the flight, and traveling with them both was much easier than I thought it would be (although we did have our moments, lol). We celebrated Christmas with all of my family in Austin, and wrapped up 2017 by crashing at 10 pm and missing the ball drop (parent life).

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Comments

I have to tell you, Lee, I have so much respect for you. What I love about you is that you are a “big” blogger and have a large following, yet you are honest and true to your readers and yourself. I have to say, I read your post on life being a shit show and I just cried. I’m not a mom yet, but I truly appreciate the honesty. I have been there- looking at other bloggers’ stories where they are posting try on hauls, etc, and I feel like I struggle even posting an outfit photo a day on Insta because my life is so busy with my full time job. Your post really humanized the whole blogging process to me. At the end of the day, we are all human, and we all can only do the best we can.